Netflix welcomes a new animated comedy and the return of a fan-favorite fantasy drama this week. Jake Johnson’s Hoops, a raunchy series about a washed-up basketball coach traumatizing his team of talentless misfits lands on the streaming platform. It’s dirtier than BoJack and it sports no lessons about puberty or growing up like Big Mouth does, but there are plenty of bits. If that doesn’t strike you, maybe the new season of Lucifer, which plans to introduce Satan’s twin brother to stir things up, just might?
Here’s everything coming to (and leaving) Netflix this week of August 21.
Hoops (Netflix series streaming 8/21)
New Girl’s Jake Johnson leads this cast of Netflix’s latest animated series, playing a foul-mouthed high school basketball coach named Ben Hopkins. Ben wants to get out from under his father’s shadow — a former pro baller and current owner of a successful steakhouse voiced by the always-funny Rob Riggle — and he thinks coaching a bunch of talentless losers to greatness might help with that dream. There are prostitute bits, a Godfather reference that goes too far, and lots of f-bombs so if that doesn’t speak to you after watching the first episode, don’t stick around for more. No seriously, Jake Johnson told us to tell you that.
Netflix is giving fans of this hellishly-fun crime drama another season and this one feels a bit more experimental than the rest. That’s a good thing because introducing Satan’s evil twin (sorry, we had to) feels like a completely bonkers move that might just pay off. While Lucifer is stuck somewhere in the Underworld, his sibling is f*cking up his relationships on Earth, starting with his romance with Chloe.
I’ve always said Eric Roberts doesn’t get enough credit for being Julia Roberts’ Frank Stallone. Now the hardest working man in show business is trying to become the hardest working man in show business (truly sorry for this joke), after he went on Australia’s The Morning Show to promote a new erectile dysfunction product called “The Rocket.”
The clip, in which Eric Roberts initially gets the name of the product’s website wrong, is a masterpiece of gloriously pointless Australian television. The over-caffeinated hosts goad Roberts into saying “erectile dysfunction” over and over so they can make winky references to sex, but don’t let Roberts actually describe how the product works. Presumably because that might involve, you know, talking about penises and such. Croikey, Eric, you can’t say that on telly! Roberts also begins the segment by clarifying that he didn’t actually suffer from ED when he discovered the product, which would seem to make him a bad judge of cures for it, but hey I’m not a scientist.
According to what I can glean from a piece in the Daily Mail (entitled “Would You Try Zapping Your Penis With ‘The Rocket?’”) the device, which you wand up and down your penis (important to note) works by “sending sound waves through the penis to encourage blood flow and the creation of new blood vessels.” Ooh, can I program it to play “Shock the Monkey?”
It was invented, the piece goes on to note, by Stephanie Wolff, “an anti-aging specialist,” which is definitely a real job, and her husband, Dustin, on whose penis she presumably tested it, and with whom she runs the “Novus anti-aging center” which I think we can all agree is a very fancy name for a thing.
Stephanie and Dustin run a Novus Anti-Aging Center, where a large portion of Stephanie’s days are spent using a kind of mild shock treatment on men’s penises, with the seemingly paradoxical goal of making them work better. [DailyMail]
Can we all give the Daily Mail writer a round of applause? “Stephanie’s days are spent using a kind of mild shock treatment on men’s penises, with the seemingly paradoxical goal of making them work better” is one of the greatest sentences I’ve ever read.
Roberts’ appearance on Australian TV was in February, but he also went on comedian Dave Landau’s podcast in June to promote The Phoenix, which is apparently what The Rocket is called now after a lawsuit settlement with another company that also claimed the name. Update your bookmarks, people.
With this, Roberts adds “Australia’s This Morning” and “Dave Landau’s podcast” to his list of 2020 film and television credits. I was just trying to count them on IMDB but lost track at 40. That is not an exaggeration. He had more than 40 credits just in 2020, a year when filming has been shutdown. Is there a job Eric Roberts won’t take? He works so much that you’d assume he has 15 divorces to pay for, but he’s apparently been married to the same woman since 1992.
Here’s to hoping we all find something we love in life as much as Eric Roberts loves having a camera pointed at him.
Vince Mancini is onTwitter. You can access his archive of reviewshere.
“What is it that you desire?” It’s the siren song for weirdos who can’t resist craving a hefty dose of urban fantasy to shake up what could otherwise be a run-of-the-mill procedural with a side of a The X-Files-style dynamic. Lucifer isn’t prestige fare, as anyone who’s watched the show realizes. It’s often quite silly and saucy with the Devil, who’s sporting some sort of hybrid U.K. accent, walking around Los Angeles like a sharp-dressed man and helping a steely detective solve crimes with his Satanic “mojo.” This version of Lucifer Morningstar originated in Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman (with an assist from Sam Kieth and Mike Dringenberg). The cool thing about this TV series, though, is that the Devil’s comic-book origins don’t matter at all.
Yep, one can totally watch Lucifer for sheer comedy and escapism purposes. It’s funny as heck to watch this tweak on the procedural genre’s will-they-or-won’t-they setup of law enforcement partners. They’ve dragged this question out more adeptly than most shows who attempt to so so. Hell, ahead of Season 5 on Netflix (which picked up the show with Season 4 after a Fox cancellation, and agreed to Season 6 after a #SaveLucifer fan campaign), I still wasn’t even entirely sure why Chloe tolerated Lucifer. After all, she’s the only human who can see through all of his sh*t. Yet that question gets answered more sufficiently this year due to a number of revelations.
So, there’s a little more substance going on now, which feels more concentrated due to Netflix not doing the bloated 20+ episode seasons like Fox did. Most importantly, the show stays blissfully ridiculous, for these reasons and more:
(1) The idea of Lucifer growing bored by the routine matters of running Hell and seeking to amuse himself with the LAPD instead;
(2) The same goes for Tom Ellis portraying the Devil as a dashing playboy who runs a nightclub and talks to himself in the mirror whilst nude;
(3) The Devil needs therapy, too! And he constantly frets over how to resolve that unresolved sexual tension with Chloe (Lauren German), who he usually addresses simply as “Detective.” It sort-of reminds me of a long-lost Matthew McConaughey movie, Surfer, Dude, in which he actually plays naked bongos and only addresses his love interest as “East Coast.” There’s a good guest-star idea for Season 6.
(4) The writers decided that Season 5 was the right time to spring an out-of-nowhere announcement on us: Lucifer has a secret twin brother. What a supernatural soap opera we have here, and that tomfoolery is such a punch in the face that I have to respect it.
Look, the show has a loyal audience, who isn’t going anywhere, and the show certainly doesn’t need to pull out major stops itself to keep viewership high. Nonetheless, that’s what this new split-season does. Stones that were previously left unturned are illuminated, and there’s plenty of demonic little trinkets along the way. Like Lucifer 2.0 (his name is Michael, and it doesn’t make much sense in a biblical way), for example, who’s determined to steal his brother’s life while unfurling a very different set of wings on earth while Lucifer’s on a trip to Hell. For sure, “I was wondering when you’d show our face again” is one of the most Lucifer lines that ever existed.
Netflix
There’s also an episode that viewers have been anticipating (and chattering about) about for awhile: the noir story that travels back to the 1940s. And the series also delivers an excellent meta-episode with a show within a show (called ¡Diablo!). Neither of these experimental efforts are simply a gimmick or bottle episodes but further the narrative. It’s remarkable that the show has constructed such an air-tight set of eight episodes (and done away with the Fox bloat) while retaining what is beloved about these characters. All of this is led by the swaggering antichrist himself, who manages to get himself into so many jams among humans, it’s a kick to watch.
Look, if you watch and love this show already, you’ll be thrilled with where it’s going now. If you don’t watch and are predisposed to enjoy either procedurals or comic books, give the “evil” guy a shot. Lucifer makes a fine binge watch, and you’ll have plenty of time to catch up before the (likely) endgame of Season 6. For now, either prepare to gobble up eight new episodes over a weekend or miss out on a devilishly delightful spin on the same formula that’s relished by Law & Order: SVU and Criminal Minds addicts. The difference, though, is that Lucifer isn’t a stressful watch. It offers sheer joy and pleasure for all involved.
This season, really, is a love letter to the fans who kept the show alive and threw down over the possibility of it ending too soon. The Devil is back, baby, and he’s gonna use that mojo on you.
‘Lucifer’ returns for its fifth season August 21 on Netflix.
After putting the Brooklyn legend on blast earlier this year by letting fans know a Nas album was the way, Big Sean slides through with a verse of his own on “Replace Me” with Don Toliver from Nas’ new King’s Disease album. With Don Toliver holding the track together with a hook that samples Ella Mai’s “Trip,” Nas and Big Sean both lay verses that speak on the topic of relationships, with Big Sean’s verse alluding to his own relationship with Jhene Aiko. Sean references his relationship with the “Triggered” with the line: “You know I’m good at reading you I spent like ten thousand hours,” pointing to Jhene and Nas’ “10k Hours” collaboration from her Chilombo album.
Nas first announced his King’s Disease earlier this month in a trailer to Instagram, one that revealed Hit-Boy as the album’s executive producer. Soon after he shared its first single, “Ultra Black,” a track that caught more attention for its diss to Doja Cat than the song’s overall appeal, or lack thereof, to fans. King’s Disease‘s thirteen songs present features from Charlie Wilson, Lil Durk, Anderson .Paak, Fivio Foreign, ASAP Ferg, The Firm, AZ, Foxy Brown, and Brucie B.
As for Big Sean, fans are still awaiting the release of the Detroit native’s Detroit 2 album, which he announced back in March.
Listen to “Replace Me” in the video above.
King’s Disease is out now via Mass Appeal. Get it here.
Don Toliver is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warne Music Group.
Steph Curry had a big Thursday. The two-time NBA MVP was the Golden State Warriors’ representative at the 2020 NBA Draft Lottery, where the ping pong balls determined that the team would pick second at this October’s NBA Draft. A few hours later, in a pre-recorded segment, Curry sat down with his family — wife Ayesha and daughters Riley and Ryan — to announce their support for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris in this November’s presidential election.
The video began with Ayesha stating plainly that their goal is to “ensure that our kids live in a nation that is safe, happy, healthy, and fair.” Because of this, Steph announced that the pair intend to vote for the Democratic Party’s ticket over incumbents Donald Trump and Mike Pence. The pair then sat down with their daughters to discuss some basics about being the President of the United States, who’s running, and the fact that Biden chose Harris — who would become the first woman to get elected to this role — as his potential Vice President.
.@StephenCurry30 and @ayeshacurry: Thank you for your support. When I’m president, you and your family are welcome at the White House any time.
Things end with Ayesha making a plea to Americans to make sure they participate in the democratic process this fall while Steph did the shimmy that he normally saves for when he drills a three from 10 feet behind the three-point line.
The Democratic National Convention, where both Biden and Harris formally accepted their spots on the ballot for this November’s election, occurred this week. This marks the second election in a row where Curry publicly endorsed the Democratic Party’s nominee, as he threw his support behind Hillary Clinton in 2016. He has famously butted heads with Trump during the latter’s tenure in the White House — following the Warriors’ championship win in 2017, Curry said he voted against the team taking the ceremonial visit to Washington, D.C. to meet the President, something that one of his teammates, Andre Iguodala, previously indicated meant that the team would pass on visiting Trump altogether.
The following day, after it had been made clear the team would not go, Trump rescinded the Warriors’ invitation to the White House. The Warriors announced in a statement to “celebrate equality, diversity and inclusion” during a trip to D.C. to play the Wizards that season, while LeBron James opined on the whole thing by calling Trump a “bum.”
Mulatto has had a year worth paying attention to and the Atlanta-based rapper looks to add on to her success with her newly-released Queen Of Da Souf album. Across the thirteen tracks, a highlight comes on her “Pull Up” collab with 21 Savage. Lending a rare 2020 verse to the fellow ATLien, 21 Savage backs up Mulatto’s confident raps that center around her preference with men, expensive bags, and other braggadocios bars with a verse laced with his trademark sinister demeanor. Taking the moment to celebrate a big life accomplishment before ending his verse, 21 Savage raps, “Never been friendly I don’t dap n****s / I done won a Grammy, I’m a rap n****.”
Queen Of Da Souf arrives after Mulatto landed a spot among the 2020 XXL Freshman class. Her inclusion in the class was well-deserved honor after her “Queen Of Da Souf” single went viral and was eventually remixed by Trina and Saweetie. The remix was followed by her “Muwop” release with Gucci Mane, which preceded a phenomenal rollout that earned her the attention of many new fans. Out now, in addition to features from 21 Savage and Gucci Mane, Queen Of Da Souf also sees guest appearances from City Girls, 42 Dugg, Trina, and Saweetie.
While they both appear on Pop Smoke’s posthumous album, Shoot For The Moon, Aim For The Stars, the last collaboration between Swae Lee and Future arrived in 2018 on “Buckets” off Rae Sremmurd’s third album, SR3MM. Striking the match once again, Swae and Future connect once again thanks to Internet Money’s new single, “Thrusting.”
The track gives off a heavy dance vibe, one that would’ve been ideal for a lockdown-less summer. Swae Lee steps to the mic first on the song as he gets into his pocket with a verse and hook of his own. He then allows Future to step in and tap into his R&B side with his own verse, but Swae returns to close out the song.
This song serves as the second single off Internet Money’s upcoming album, B4 The Storm, following their “Lemonade” release with Don Toliver, Nav, and Gunna. In an interview with Complex, Taz Taylor of the group spoke on landing the collaboration with Swae Lee after tweeting his desire to work with the “Unforgettable” artist.
So Swae was in Miami and — shout out my boy Resource — he FaceTimed me and Swae. Then Swae was like, “Yo, they told me you wanted to get in the studio. I’ve got to be on your album, bro.” Come to find out, Swae has actually been following me on Twitter for like six years. I had no idea. After we get off FaceTime, he just DMs me. He’s like, “Bro, I’m serious. Don’t turn this album in without me.” So, we got in the session literally the next day.
Listen to “Thrusting” in the video above.
B4 The Storm is out 08/28 via 10K Projects. Pre-order it here.
Swae Lee is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
In conjunction with his Time magazine cover stories, “The New American Revolution,” Pharrell announced Thursday morning that he and Jay-Z would release their new collaboration, “Entrepreneur,” the following night. With the announcement being made through the magazine, a preview of Jay-Z’s verse was shared, one that caused a bit of controversy. “Black Twitter, what’s that? When Jack gets paid, do you?” Jay-Z asks on the track. “For every one Gucci, support two FUBU’s.” Many fans on social media were not happy with the verse and criticized Jay-Z diminishing the Black community’s support of Black businesses, all before the full song arrived.
Now that the song is here, fans will be able to judge the song and its lyrics all at once. Clocking in at just over four minutes, the song begins with Pharrell leading the way with whispering chants before his voice comes alive. Jay-Z appears later on in the track with lines aimed to motivate listeners to take a step towards entrepreneurship, rapping, “If you can’t buy the building at least stock the shelf.”
Prior to its release, Pharrell gave some insight on the song to Time magazine. “The intention for a song was all about how tough it is to be an entrepreneur in our country to begin with — especially as someone of color. There’s a lot of systemic disadvantages and purposeful blockages. How can you get a fire started, or even the hope of an ember to start a fire, when you’re starting at disadvantages with regards to health care, education, and representation?”
I don’t say this lightly: Love On The Spectrum might be the greatest dating show ever made. At the very least, it’s the most earnest. So much of the conversation on shows like The Bachelor and The Bachelorette (and its 27 other spinoffs I can’t keep track of) consists of contestants asking the question: Is he/she here for me?
Which is to say, is this other person on the show really trying to find love or do they just want to be on a show? On virtually all dating shows the question is practically rhetorical. Obviously they’re there to be on a show; otherwise they’d just find love on their own dime and their own time.
I can’t tell you how many times I cried during LOVE ON THE SPECTRUM. It is just so authentic and heartfelt & I want to hang out with everyone on the show. Jimmy & Sharnae brought me to pieces. Mark is just so sweet. I loved it so much.
By contrast everything about Love on the Spectrum feels like some kind of normal veneer has been torn away. The characters, all young Australians on the autism spectrum, are hoping to find love, without, in some cases, seeming to entirely grasp what that means. As if dating wasn’t hard enough already for the non-spectrum disordered, these subjects have a condition whose first defined attribute is “difficulty communicating and interacting with other people.”
Yet their desire for true human connection is so pure and so uncluttered with the usual trivial matters that you can’t help but experience every possibility and setback right along with them. The characters are all so inexperienced with dating, and have such a detached, God’s eye view of what a relationships even is that going on the journey with them is a little like taking mushrooms. You experience all the things you normally would but with the jadedness of human experience stripped away, such that the familiar feels brand new — dating as it might be experienced by a baby, or a visitor from another planet.
It also helps the show’s binge-ability that one of autism spectrum disorder’s chief effects seems to be producing fascinating eccentrics. Michael dresses and speaks a bit like a politician, always seeming to be projecting to the back of the room even when he’s just chit-chatting at the dinner table. He’s consistently hilarious, often not on purpose, and can recite Spongebob episodes verbatim. Mark wears a constant, slightly pained smile and is filled with various facts about dinosaurs. Thomas loves being a bus driver, seemingly more content with his job than anyone I know and even more so since he met Ruth, an Earthy animal lover. I watched them all try to find love with a mix of wonder and mortification, so impossible was it not to experience every emotion along with them, at times maybe more intensely than the subjects themselves. You can’t help but want the best for all of them.
Love On The Spectrum was at points heartwarming romance, at others comedy of errors. I can never forget the look on Chloe’s date’s face the moment he accidentally squirted himself in the eye with a lemon while trying to eat salad. It is fascinating, edifying, occasionally hilarious television.
Naturally I wondered how it came about. The awkwardness was at times too intense to watch, I can’t imagine being there to shoot it. And then there are the questions about how it came about, what organizations are helping these characters in their love quests, and the specific challenges of filming those with spectrum disorders. Love On The Spectrum director Cian O’Clery, an award-winning director of multiple previous documentary series, was on location this week but agreed to answer a few of our questions by email.
—
How did you come up with the idea for this project, and who did you first approach to make it happen?
Having previously made two documentary series telling the stories of people with disabilities looking for employment, we spoke to and worked with many young adults on the autism spectrum. We were hearing from many of them that they wanted to find love but were struggling to meet people to date. Looking into what supports there were for young adults on the spectrum when it comes to dating and relationships, we found there was very little, and felt there was an opportunity to tell these stories. We approached some key autism organizations here in Australia as well as psychologists who specialize in the area, and of course many young adults on the spectrum and their families. This confirmed that the dating and relationships space was one where more support would be very welcome, and that telling these stories would be a positive thing.
What are the specific aspects of being on the spectrum that making dating hard?
I think dating is hard for anyone, and it’s important to make it clear that the autism spectrum is really diverse, each person has their own unique experience. Difficulties with social interaction is one of the more common areas people on the spectrum can struggle with, which can make dating tricky. For the many young autistic adults I’ve met, the most difficult thing seems to be meeting people to date, not necessarily the dating itself. Finding people who are on the same wavelength, maybe share some interests, which can be hard for anyone.
What are some of the organizations that are helping people on the autism spectrum learn these skills?
Again, the autism spectrum is very diverse and plenty of people on the spectrum don’t feel the need for support and have happy healthy dating lives, but many do find support helpful. Teaching social and dating skills is slowly starting to become more common, sometimes it can be government-funded, sometimes it isn’t. Navigating disability services in Australia can be complex. What we found that can be really helpful for many people are social groups and events that help people get together and meet others. Often these are run by parents in their own time, which is why arguably there aren’t enough of them.
As viewers, we care about them all so much that certain moments are kind of mortifying. What was it like to film the ups and downs and awkward moments?
It’s important for us that audiences do care about the participants and their stories, and it’s great that people have been so engaged with them. It’s a credit to them all for being so open, honest, and, well, they’re just nice people! I did feel for people when things weren’t going so well, but we were always making sure people felt as comfortable as possible given the situation. We made it clear that people could put their hand up if they were feeling stressed or overwhelmed, we weren’t pressuring people to keep filming if they weren’t comfortable.
Can you talk about the importance of pop culture to people on the spectrum? I notice most of them were incredible at remembering and mimicking, and sometimes they seemed to struggle with the “off switch” part.
Many people with autism have very strong interests and passions, and yes often pop culture, video games, movies, anime, etc. can be something they are into. But not always. For Mark it’s dinosaurs, and when you get him started talking about them his passion comes out and he can maybe struggle to switch off – but it’s great for people to have a strong interest in something. The way Thomas (from Thomas and Ruth) described it to me recently is that it’s like seeing the things you’re into in technicolour.
I loved the series, and I feel like it was pretty respectful. But when you’re talking about depicting disabled people there’s always the question of whether you’re exploiting them. Did you have any rules or thoughts on how to do it the “right” way?
It’s a good question, and this is something we were acutely aware of throughout the whole production of the series. I think it comes down to one important word that you have referenced: respect. People are people, regardless of a disability or condition they may have, and we treated everyone as we would want to be treated ourselves. When it comes to filming and editing a series like this, there is a line you don’t want to cross, and this line is something you just have to use your judgment about. The most important critics of the series are the participants themselves, and thankfully they are all happy with how we have put the show together.
Did the parents have any qualms about participating? Does that come into play at all? Because you’re dealing with subjects on the spectrum, but they’re also adults, so where do you get the okay from in terms of filming?
Again, good question, and all depends on the participant and their individual situation. If someone lives at home and their family is a big part of their life, absolutely it was important for them to be on board and supportive of the series. Not only were we filming people in their homes, we also wanted to see them with the people they are close to.
Certain characters, like Michael especially, seemed almost hyper-articulate and funny almost in a way that he didn’t realize he was being funny. Did you find yourself trying to put your finger on the missing ingredient on how they relate to others?
I wouldn’t refer to people missing anything, it’s just a different way of seeing things. It is interesting though, Michael loves making people laugh, regardless of whether he is doing it on purpose or not. He says himself, when he tries to be funny, he isn’t, but when he isn’t trying to be funny, he is. And the fact that he likes making people laugh regardless of his intentions means it felt ok to show this, and for audiences to find him funny. If Michael’s happy with it, we’re happy with it.
‘Love On The Spectrum’ is available now on Netflix. Vince Mancini is onTwitter. You can access his archive of reviewshere.
After a Game 1 loss that inspired a flurry of discussion, the Los Angeles Lakers responded with a thoroughly dominant performance in Game 2 against the Portland Trail Blazers. LeBron James, Anthony Davis and company led by as many 33 points in the second half before cruising to a 111-88 victory and, in a 48-minute statement, the Lakers seemingly reasserted control of the series.
However, Game 3 looms on Saturday and, in advance of that tilt, we take a glance at three major themes of Game 2.
Anthony Davis is (still) quite good
LeBron was LeBron in Game 2, serving as an engine on both ends of the floor, but it was Davis that was the dominant individual force. The uber-talented big man asserted his will from the opening tip, scoring 11 points in the first quarter, and he finished the night with 31 points (on 13-of-21 shooting and 3-of-4 from three-point range) and 11 rebounds in only 29 minutes of action.
It isn’t ever shocking to see a player of Davis’s caliber operating at a high level but, after an inefficient performance in Game 1 (particularly in the second half), Davis left no doubt that the Blazers will have trouble dealing with him throughout the series. More than anything, it is wild to see a night in which LeBron finished with only ten points and the Lakers were able to dominate to this degree.
It helps that, after the consternation of Game 1, the Lakers made a relatively normal percentage of long-range shots, but Davis opened many doors offensively and proved that no one on the Blazers is equipped to deter him when he’s aggressive and moving towards the basket.
The Lakers turned on the jets defensively
Defense wasn’t the problem for Los Angeles in Game 1. In fact, the Lakers held the previously scorching hot Blazers to less than one point per possession and, as such, it was actually shocking that Frank Vogel’s team didn’t win.
Instead of taking their foot off the gas, though, the Lakers were even better defensively in the follow-up performance. With some help from the Blazers (we’ll get there), the Lakers held their opponent to well below one point per possession (again) and genuinely stifled Portland throughout the night.
As evidenced by L.A.’s own struggles in Game 1, shooting luck can swing games in the postseason, but the Lakers didn’t allow either Damian Lillard or CJ McCollum to generate quality looks throughout the evening. The Lakers own a size and physicality advantage in this matchup and they utilized it well in Game 2, cutting off driving lanes and forcing Portland into suboptimal shot attempts.
That isn’t to say that the Blazers aren’t “due” for an explosion as one of the most dynamic offensive teams in the NBA, but the Lakers swallowed them up on this night. Given that Los Angeles owned the third-best defense in the league during the regular season, it also didn’t feel like that much of a fluke. They were dominant against a high-octane offense.
Everything went wrong for the Blazers
As noted previously, the Blazers struggled mightily on the offensive end in this game. In fact, they were better defensively (at least on a per-possession basis) in Game 2 than they have been in the bubble at large, and the result was still a thoroughly lopsided defeat.
First, Portland no answers for Davis and, with the Lakers making a more appropriate percentage of their shots, Los Angeles made the dent that many assumed they would in this series. Candidly, the Blazers are a team driven by their offense at the highest level and, on a night in which Portland simply couldn’t find any room against a suffocating Lakers defense, there was no path to overall team success.
From there, Lillard suffered a dislocated finger in the second half, and when it rains, it pours. Quite obviously, Lillard is the key to everything for the Blazers and, while he wasn’t at his best in Game 2, Portland’s path to competitiveness in the rest of the series revolves around their point guard operating at a superstar level. That isn’t to say that Lillard can’t get there again, even if limited by injury, but the Blazers now have a much smaller margin for error after the Lakers found their mojo in Game 2.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Cookie settingsACCEPT
Privacy & Cookies Policy
Privacy Overview
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
: 
